


Life's Twisted Sense of Humor

by aprilrosequartz



Category: Assassin's Creed - All Media Types
Genre: 16th Century, Family, Fluff, Gen, Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-03
Updated: 2019-08-26
Packaged: 2019-10-03 12:12:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 11,972
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17283854
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aprilrosequartz/pseuds/aprilrosequartz
Summary: Ezio was prepared for any situation however unexpectedly becoming a father was not one of them.





	1. A Wounded State

A tiny light passed through the curtain, which caused the man on the bed to crack an eye open.

When it felt as if sleep no longer wanted him, Ezio gently removed the hand that was on his chest and sat up. The naked brunette let out a soft sound beside him, as she shifted to her side and continued to sleep. The Auditore smirked. The memories from last night played in his mind, how she willingly made her way to the bed with him.

Thus, the start of another peaceful day in Monteriggioni.

That thought was destroyed by a high piercing scream, followed by others. The sound of running footsteps was just outside, which awoke the woman on the bed.

Quickly grabbing the shirt that he threw from last night, he put it on before pushing the curtains to the sides completely. Leaning outside from his room on the second floor, he looked where the people were running to and widened his eyes. Just ten houses away from the brothel, was a house in flames.

"Ezio, what's going on?"

"There's a house on fire down the street," At his words, the brunette widened her eyes. "I'm going to see how serious it is." He smirked at her, she responded with a smile.

"Good luck then."

The assassin made his way downstairs, not bothering to pay as he already paid their 'services' last night. Now standing outside, the smoke on the air was more recognizable.

A man who worked for his uncle ran up to him. "Ezio, what's going on?"

"A house is on fire."

"We can help those who are caught in it."

"Do it, then grab every bucket of water you can to put out the fire."

After the man's nod, Ezio easily pushed his way through the panicking crowd. As he got nearer, the cries of horror grew. A moment later, he made it to the front and widened his eyes again at the scene before him. The flames already ate up most of the building despite how much water was thrown on it, and the fire was already starting to spread across the buildings next to it. His eyes glanced to the side, where he saw some of his uncle's men surrounding a coughing family, who were the owners of the burning house.

Ezio called out to the mercenaries. "All of you, I need you to put out the fire with water from the wells around town, before the fire spreads to more houses."

They did as they were told. A second later, the assassin acquired a bucket of water in his hand. Everyone that was present decided to help out, as more men came. Slowly but surely, the fire began to die down, until they successfully killed every last flame. Roars of cheers and released breaths of relief soared through the air.

"Thank you, we wouldn't have managed to put out the fire without all of your help." A man spoke up to Ezio, hugging the crying form of his wife. Beside him, two children continued to cry with their mother.

"Will you be alright?" Ezio asked.

The man nodded. "It might take a while, but we can rebuild our house. In the meantime, I have a friend who owns an inn in town, me and my family will stay there."

Ezio nodded, as he and the man continued to talk.

Everything calmed down. The house in ash still had a hint of smoke emitting from it, unlike the buildings that were near as they ended up nothing too serious. A good fix from a carpenter and it would be repaired.

The man in front of the assassin was clearly exhausted, with his bloodshot eyes and injuries from the fire. He thanked him again, and told him if he ever needed his help, he knew where to find him. After that, he left with his family.

"Ezio!"

The assassin mentally groaned. 'This is just not my day isn't it?' He thought and turned to face the man who approached him earlier at the brothel.

"What?"

"We have a problem, outside the gates of Monteriggioni."

Ezio turned serious. "How many templars are there?" It had been weeks since their enemies made an appearance, it was no surprise they would try another attack.

The mercenary became uneasy. "It's not the templars, and we're not under any danger."

Ezio narrowed his eyes. "What do you mean?"

The man became more uneasy. "It is best if you see it yourself."

Confused by this turn of events, as well as curious as to why the man seemed troubled, Ezio made his way outside.

What greeted him was even more confusion. There was nothing out there except for another mercenary, standing beside a young child. As he walked closer, the boy's features became more detailed and Ezio almost stopped in his tracks.

The boy was watching him with a confused look on his face, and with every step the assassin took he saw the child's eyes grew wider, similar to his own no doubt. It would had been funny, if only he did not look as if he was a small Ezio.

"We found him earlier, alone." Said the mercenary walking beside him. Now he knew why the man was nervous.

The assassin stopped walking when he was five feet away, and stared at the child before him. This ought to to be a trap, there was no way the boy could be his, even when their appearance was the same. There was just no proof. However, no matter how much he denied it, the evidence placed in front of him was clear. There was no other reason why he was sent to Monterrigioni.

'What else than to pass the responsibility to his father?'

Being an assassin taught him how to calm his nerves during intense situations, as even the slight feeling of hesitation could lead to worse scenarios. Now that he calmed a bit, he took on the boy's appearance. He was covered in mud, as if the boy had been crawling in dirt under the rain, although some of it had been washed off because of the water. His arms were filled with bruises and all of the child's fingers were covered with bandages. But what caught his full attention was the fresh blood on the boy's lips.

"You found him before or after the fire incident?"

"After."

"Did you saw the person with him when he arrived here?"

"No."

During their talk, the child's head had been bent down as Ezio couldn’t see his face. The boy's fingers were griping the bottom of his shirt as if he wanted to tear it apart, as his shoulders started to shake and sniffed his nose loudly. He was crying.

How the boy looked right now reminded him of Petruccio when he was upset, and with the death of his little brother it made the feeling a lot worse. Without thinking, the assassin took several steps forward and stopped when he was in arm's length, crouched down to the boy's height, and engulfed him into a hug. When the boy continued to cry, Ezio rubbed his back.

"It's okay, bambino, you are safe."

After several moments, he stopped crying. Ezio slowly pushed the boy until he could clearly see his face.

"What is your name?" At Ezio's question, the boy just stared at him. To prevent getting him upset again, he avoided asking questions regarding the boy's current situation and where he came from. Although after he is healed of his injuries, Ezio would ask.

"Did you arrive here by yourself or was there someone with you?"

The boy looked troubled, and looked at the man standing beside him, confusion clearly evident on his face, before setting his gaze to his shoes instead. It was as if he could not understand what Ezio was saying.

"Do you understand a word I'm saying?"

When the boy kept his eyes low, Ezio's guess was right.

"It is rare to be born with a birth defect, and this child is one of them. The boy is born deaf." The assassin stated.

"What will you do with him?"

Ezio stood up, and placed a hand on the boy's shoulder. "First, I will take him to a doctor to treat his wounds."

The mercenary nodded. The assassin gently led the boy inside the gates, as they made their way to the healer's building.

The child's age could be between eight and ten, which would mean he was born when Ezio was seventeen or younger, just before his father and brothers were executed. He did not know the child's mother, as he slept with many women during his teenage years. Right in front of him, was the boy wincing at whatever the doctor put on his injuries to avoid infection.

As the healer cleaned the blood from the boy's mouth, Ezio could see the deep vertical cut on the boy's lips.

"It would hurt a lot less if you stop moving, child." Scolded the doctor.

The assassin chuckled. "He could not understand you. He's born without hearing."

"I see, how unfortunate. Is this the reason of his injuries?"

Ezio frowned at this. "To be honest, I'm not so sure."

The boy winced again. The cut on his lips was deep, and would turn into a scar in the future, identical to Ezio's. The doctor knew it too, but kept it to himself, which the assassin was grateful. He did not know why after many years of hiding, the boy was sent to him now, especially in a wounded state. It made his blood boil.

The anger must have shown on his face because when the boy took a peek at him, he widened his eyes and then quickly averted his gaze to the floor. Ezio needed to clear his mind first, as he went outside without uttering a word.


	2. Light Brown Water

The master assassin stepped outside of the healer's building and into the streets of Monteriggioni.

The spicy scent from the different herbs and the shouts from the merchants indicated that Ezio was near the market, which was full of people. He stood still, as men and women greeted Ezio when they passed by him.

Everyone went on with their daily routines for the morning, as if the fire incident never happened. Other than a few houses caught by the fire, no one got hurt and they were content with that.

The memory of finding the boy outside the gates slipped back into his mind, leaving him uneasy again. When the fire started, the mercenary left his post to help and the gates unguarded, but it was half an hour later when they finally extinguished the fire.

Those men who patrolled above the walls should have seen the boy coming at a faraway distance, however they only noticed him when he was standing alone at the front. It was confusing and suspicious. Uncovering this mystery would be a lot easier if the boy could speak and was not deaf.

'How should I explain the situation to uncle Mario?'

"Ser Ezio."

The master assassin turned around to face the doctor, and noticed new bandages were covered all around the boy's arms.

"Does he need regular checkups?" Ezio asked.

"There’s no need, bruises will take time to heal. On the other hand, the cut had been deep and will turn into a scar on his lips once it's healed."

"I see. Here's your payment." Ezio paid him twelve florins, before looking at the boy. After thinking if he should offer his hand, he decided to do it. The child held his larger one without any hesitation, as they head their way to the villa.

When they arrived at the front of the huge house, some of Mario’s men were training inside the ring. One of them asked Ezio for a demonstration to help them become stronger, but the assassin refused as it was important to see his uncle first.

The mercenaries stopped what they were doing and landed their gazes to the boy, who began to get nervous from their sudden interest. They started to ask him questions, however Ezio's knowledge regarding the child was limited and personal therefore he couldn’t reply to all of them. He quickly left before the boy got even more overwhelmed. As they arrived inside the ball room, Mario was shocked as well as surprised.

"Ezio, is this.." The assassin's uncle took a glance at the boy then to Ezio, and back to the child. At the end he settled to face his nephew.

The child was staring at his uncle with horror, and his face was actually turning pale, as well was dangerously close to fainting. It would not be wise to leave him alone, but the boy certainly did not need to see his uncle right now.

"Uncle for some reason the boy is scared of you. It would be easier for him if we discuss this in the armory."

The man nodded, as they walked inside the room that was full of different weapons.

"What do you think of this?" Ezio asked awkwardly.

The man sighed. "Giovanni mentioned this day would come, he told me with how reckless you've been it was bound to happen. He was right."

"You're fine with it?"

"If this happened years ago, I wouldn't be. But what's done is done and we cannot alter the past, only to learn from it and move on."

Some of the tension in Ezio's shoulders quickly faded away. "He arrived alone outside the gates. The guards didn’t notice his arrival or if someone was with him."

"That is strange, they should have noticed him coming at a distance."

"But why is he with me now after so many years?" Ezio stated with anger.

"Did you try asking the boy?" His uncle asked.

"I didn't to avoid getting him more upset. But when I asked of his name and if there was someone with him, I found out that he was born deaf."

The older man raised his eyebrows at that. "It's more likely from his genes, his mother could be deaf too."

"I don't remember any woman who had a problem hearing, or remember them telling me it came from their family."

Mario's face turned grim. "With his injuries, he could had been abused and lost his hearing at a young age and forgot how to speak. His clothes look like they haven't been washed for days so he must have run away from home. When he saw you, the boy must have assumed you were his father and began looking for you. For whatever reason, someone must have helped him."

Ezio's frown deepened, no wonder the child looked frightened, he had been through much worse.

Mario placed his hand on his nephew's shoulder. "You need to tell the news to your sister and mother, I'm sure they will welcome the boy with open arms the same as I have."

"You're right, although they may not like it." The assassin said with a grimace.

"It is best to be out with it sooner." After an encouraging squeeze to his shoulder they walked out of the armory.

When they stepped into the ball room, no one was there. They searched every corner but the boy was nowhere to be seen.

They did not know where he went. The assassin was quite worried if the child got lost. With how huge the villa was, it was more likely.

They went at the back and searched the gardens. Ezio used his gift to spot anything out of the ordinary, but there was none. They made their way to the front and asked the mercenaries who were training inside the ring, but they did not notice the boy leaving.

They returned inside. Mario looked worried as well. "If he is not here, then he must have gone upstairs."

When none of them moved, his uncle sent him an unimpressed expression.

Ezio stared back. "What?"

His mentor crossed his arms on his chest. "He is now your responsibility, nephew. Go look for him before your sister does, or worse, your mother."

If Ezio had been younger, he would be annoyed at his uncle right now. However, Mario was right and without a word went upstairs, and began his search in the art room.

Unfortunately, the boy was not there either. Ezio searched all the rooms on the second floor, including the empty ones, but there was still no sign of him. There were no more areas left to check except for his mother's bedroom, and walked back to stand in front of her door.

Pushing the fear away and replacing it with courage, he knocked and waited for a few seconds, before opening it. He only found his mother asleep on her bed. Closing the door silently, he made his way downstairs and into his uncle's office. Claudia was usually behind the desk, writing and managing the profits around Monteriggioni, but the room was empty.

Ezio was getting more worried then it struck him, he did not search his bedroom yet. Running back upstairs he dashed passed the servants, who was surprised to see him in such a hurry, and turned to a couple more hallways until he finally reached the entrance to his room. Climbing up the ladder and expecting the boy to be there, but was greeted with another empty room.

"Merda."

Ezio did not know where else to look, he searched everywhere inside the villa but there was still no sign of the boy. He was pathetic for a master assassin. He climbed back down.

The assassin's uncle was nowhere to be seen. Ezio made his way outside, but the mercenaries still did not know where the boy was. They told him Mario was searching for the child around town.

Although there was still one room he did not bother to check, due to the fact how impossible the boy could be there, but he was out of options at this point. With a sigh, he made his way to the bathing room.

Ezio would just take a look. He walked through the ball room, out to the garden, and made his way to the other side of the villa. Stepping inside, he widened his eyes and froze at the doorway.

The boy he had been looking for the last two hours was naked, and was inside a bath tub filled with light brown water and bubbles were surrounding the child. Claudia was washing his hair with shampoo.

His sister noticed him coming in, and gave the older Auditore one of her famous glares. "Ezio!"

The assassin frowned, relieved, confused, and a bit annoyed. "Claudia, wait, why is he here and taking a bath?"

"Because you, brother," Ezio's sister said with venom. "Left him alone and lost in the gardens. He was all covered in dirt and was so scared that he could not even speak. He has bruises on every part of his body, and I spent an hour gently telling him to take his clothes off so I could clean the mud off of him."

Ezio raised his eyebrows at his sister's outburst. "I admit it was my fault. I was speaking with uncle but he wasn't there where we left him, and we looked everywhere for him."

The assassin's sister sighed.


	3. The Metal Chains

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey. It's been months since I last posted here huh. Yeah, I'll just leave this right here.

Light made its way inside the once dark room, making the curtains and paintings glow. Sitting on the bundle of sheets on the bed, was a boy no older than nine as he scanned his surroundings. The blanket was warm unlike the one he used at the Farm. It wasn’t a dream and he actually was here. Last night he had been afraid of waking up the next morning back to that place, to his father who trained Desmond until his legs gave out due to pushing his limits.

There was no clock nearby or anything that could tell the child what time it was, and he was reluctant to leave the comfortable bed. He never felt this safe in a long time and wished he could stay here forever. He glanced around the paintings. Did the man, who looked identical to Desmond, made these? If he did, he certainly was talented.

The boy did not know these people, however the intimidating stares these men emitted made him afraid. His eyes glanced to different one. It was that man. Speaking of which, he wasn’t here when Desmond woke up.

He did feel bad for not knowing of his name, even when they never met before that man treated Desmond as if he cared, the kind he wished his dad showed him more often. A knock against a wooden surface made him flinched, as a woman’s head popped up from the room’s entrance. She wore a kind smile to Desmond.

She climbed up from the ladder and walked to him to offer her hand, which he took. The boy was led down and through the hallways and stairs. They arrived in a large room with some of the people Desmond met yesterday. No one uttered a word and that made him nervous, he was put to sit on a tall chair beside the man — he definitely should stop calling him ‘the man’ in his head.

The stares thrown at him wasn’t helping his nervousness at all, and he squirmed in his seat at the attention. Not even at the Farm was he stared down similar to this. His dad was different, his were cold with a hint of disappointment. Theirs were calculating as if thinking on what do with Desmond now that he joined them at the table. None of them were smiling at him, but were frowning instead. Why were they looking at him with those expressions? What happened?

Yesterday they were smiling at Desmond, and now they weren’t. His dad’s words rang in his head, and placed his clenched fists on his lap as his eyes stung. He truly was such a disappointment. The boy jumped when a hand larger than his own rested on his head, he glanced up and was greeted with concerned eyes and a sympathetic smile. The fingers in his hair began to scratch his scalp which was surprisingly pleasant. Desmond couldn’t help the blush making its way to his cheeks, and relaxed under the kind gesture.

Desmond began to calm down, as the kind man’s hand shifted to push the plate of food to the boy. Feeling hungry and despite his earlier embarrassment, he took the spoon and fork in his hands and began eating. The people at the table started talking, as some thrown different looks to Desmond.

The nervousness came back. What if they were just taking pity of him because of his injuries? What if the moment he was alright they’d throw him away? He didn’t know where he was, and Desmond didn’t want to leave at all. He wished he could say those words, but he knew they couldn’t understand him and it would just be a wasted effort.

The atmosphere began to thicken, the woman who cleaned Desmond in a bathtub yesterday gritted her teeth as the tone in her voice turned harsh, but not loud enough to consider as yelling. The coldness of her voice made him frozen in his place and widened his eyes at her, she didn’t notice his fear as she continued to berate the man beside Desmond.

The boy chanced a glance at him who oddly looked calm, and wished he had that kind of confidence as his thoughts were suffocating him. He was the reason everyone was frowning. They had been kind yesterday and now they were going to kick him out, Desmond knew he didn’t belong here.

Another voice rang through the air and making the room quiet. It sounded calm but strict. The noise of a chair being pushed back against the tiled floor made Desmond snapped his head up in panic, were they going to kick him out now? He didn’t want to leave! He kept his mouth shut anyway as the old woman, who was sitting at the edge of the table earlier, walked to Desmond’s side. A wrinkled hand took his and he was led out of the large room, away from everyone’s concerned stares.

They were far away from the voices when they stopped walking. The old woman crouched down to Desmond’s level, her hand was still holding his as her kind eyes studied the boy. The gaze was extremely familiar that the bottled feelings, which he never realized he had been hiding for a long time, surfaced on his face. She was looking at him the same expression his mom made whenever he got hurt or injured.

His dad wasn’t here, as Desmond let the tears flow down and bit his lips to refuse in letting out a wail. He knew she was not his mom, and it pained him because he truly missed her. The old woman pulled him into hug, her kind voice beside his ear as she patted his back to calm him.

Once the tears stopped falling, the woman placed a handkerchief under his nose which Desmond automatically blew into. He felt a lot better. She stood up and led him through the many hallways — this place was truly big, bigger than the Farm — as they reached to a familiar garden. Desmond got himself lost here yesterday. He suppressed the urge to laugh at that thought, the garden wasn’t even that big. The boy looked down. He still didn’t want to leave.

Desmond’s hand was squeezed to gain his attention, as the woman lead him further. They turned to a corner as a new entrance came into their view, she opened the metal gate and walked inside. The sight made the child’s eyes and mouth wide open. The plants were sparkling due to the sun, this new garden was absolutely beautiful. He never saw this kind of flowers before — the Farm had a garden, but it was mostly used for crops and nothing more.

He looked up at her in silent permission, the kind old woman smiled in return as he beamed then ran to inspect the different plants. He saw her picking up a bunch of flowers at the corner of his eye.

Desmond was halfway finishing exploring when she moved to his side, and placed something light on his head. He raised a hand to see what it was as soft petals brushed his fingertips. She made him a flower crown. Desmond was shocked, before grinning as he carefully plucked different flowers and went to work.

The boy worked silently, sitting on a bench with the kind woman. He grew frustrated when the flowers wouldn’t stick no matter how he tied it around with plants. He sighed which caught her attention. He wanted to talk her, but she couldn’t understand him. Desmond looked up to the person beside him, and raised the flowers on his palm with a hopeful expression. Fortunately, she understood what he was trying to tell her and took some of them from the boy’s hands. Desmond watched with blinking eyes.

Moments later the woman left when someone called her, and a new person now stood a distance away from Desmond. She waved then he waved back. He didn’t need a babysitter, but Desmond had no choice anyway. He went back to his work. Three flower crowns and five bracelets were placed by his side. He planned to give this to them, and hoped this would be enough to let them know that he wanted to stay.

Desmond was finishing his sixth flower crown, when he heard rustling in the bushes nearby, followed by a stick snapping. The woman flinched and glanced around with wide eyes, Desmond too. A gush of wind blew into the garden, making the flowers sway with the breeze. It stilled, and it was silent once more. The boy frowned. Was it an animal?

The person surveyed the area, lips drawn into a thin line as her brown eyes landed on Desmond. She walked to him when a sudden and completely different sound rang to the air, both widened their eyes as she screamed in pain and fell to the ground. Desmond stood up and paled at the arrow on the woman’s shoulder.

He was frozen in fear at his spot. She looked up and her eyes widened in horror behind the boy, her face quickly paling. His blood turned cold as he gulped and slowly looked behind him. A man covered in rags to hide his face was staring down at Desmond, he had various weapons strapped around his body and a knife raised to the child’s face.

The scream died in his throat. He felt arms around his torso, and he was picked up by another man and the boy began to struggle under the strong grip. A rough hand tightly sealed his mouth shut, as tears formed at the corners of his eyes. He tried to pull the hand away, clawing at it even.

Wind flew to his face as the men ran away from garden, the hand was replaced by a cloth which was tied tightly that it hurt. Ropes secured his limbs, and Desmond could no longer struggle but wiggle around the bounds. His tears didn’t stop. What was happening?! Why was he taken away?!

They took him to a house with no light inside. Desmond couldn’t do anything but cry in fear of what was going to happen to him. The man opened a curtain, and if he didn’t light up a torch the boy wouldn’t see what was inside. Eyes with fear stared back at Desmond, children in different ages had cloths tied around their faces and ropes around their limbs. Some were in metal chains.

His eyes widened further. He was thrown harshly inside with the others and the curtain was drawn back, making his vision dark once more. Desmond swallowed the saliva gathering in his mouth as he sat up straight. There were footsteps around them before the wagon began to move. Where were these men taking them?

The wagon stopped, and the curtain opened as a man with another kid in ropes went inside. They moved again.

_“Panicking won’t get you anywhere Desmond! Get up! Fight!”_

Desmond blinked at his dad’s words in his head, and with effort he forced to calm his breathing. Next he blinked the tears away, no matter how scared he was he knew his dad was right. The injury on his lips was proof of that.

Now that he felt clear headed, he wiggled around his bounds to see if he could loosen them up a bit. He was glad it was dark inside, this way the man wouldn’t know what Desmond was planning. He cheered in victory in his head when the ropes did loosen, it wasn’t that tight as people tend to underestimate children after all. But Desmond was different, he was trained for this.

The wagon continued to jostle and move, unaware that one of children broke free from the ropes and was planning to do the same to the other kids. Desmond silently scooted to the one near him, and proceed to untie the ropes around his legs then the ones around his hands. He kept looking at the large shadowed figure by the entrance, but the man’s posture seemed to be relaxed.

Still, Desmond continued to be cautious in case the man was just pretending and surprise them with an attack. His dad would catch him off guard all the time. Desmond was thankful the children didn’t voice out their fear the moment their mouths were free, or maybe they were just too scared. He heard a familiar voice outside. It was that man!

The wagon jostled up more when it moved faster, as more voices could be heard outside. The shadowed figure hissed underneath his breath then yelled at the children, making them flinch. There was nothing he could do about the metal chains. He needed a key for that, and that man probably got it. Desmond wished he could see if he was unarmed then maybe they could restrain him with ropes.

Or he could knock the guy unconscious. Desmond was sure he couldn’t manage it with his strength alone. He needed the other kids’ help but could they understand him? That was the problem, everyone spoke differently here. He didn’t want to risk the man knowing anyway. He tried to think through the fear, he needed something to hit the man with.

A poke at his side made him flinched, as something solid and heavy landed on his lap. It felt similar to a big chunk of wood. He turned to see who gave him this, but it was still pitch black. Grabbing it with both of his hands he slowly crawled towards the man, his heart beating loud in his chest every second he neared the large shadow.

Fortunately, the figure’s head wasn’t looking at Desmond’s way. The boy needed to catch him off guard. It was risky but he didn’t have a choice. Now a foot away from him he took a deep breath, and screamed at the top of his lungs. The man flinched and half a second later, a large piece of wood hit the side of his head, as he fell to the ground.

The children behind Desmond acted in fear and began to jump on top of the man to prevent him from getting up, as they began to tie ropes around him in the dark. Desmond feared if he killed him, but he heard a rough groan and the feeling melted away with a sigh of relief. His dad would had been proud of him. Desmond didn’t want to do that ever again, or soon.

He wondered if his scream alerted the men outside, and gave them a reason to check on the children, but the wagon only continued to jostle. The boy checked the man’s clothes and pockets for a key but found none, he frowned. Curiosity getting the better of him, Desmond pulled the curtain aside slightly and squinted when the warm and blinding light greeted him.

They were being chased by the kind man with some of his men on horses. They could just jump. Sure, it was scary but staying was more terrifying. The boy looked behind him to the children’s fearful faces, he glanced down at the metal chains and pursed his lips. He couldn’t just leave them! He didn’t know why he suddenly felt responsible, maybe because he knew how frightening it was, or of the expectant expressions thrown at him.

The carriage suddenly stopped, making the children fell on the wooden floorboards with yelps. The curtains were pulled aside, and they widened their eyes when a hand roughly grabbed the nearest kid, which happened to be Desmond.

The boy screamed and struggled from the choking hold, his feet not touching the ground. Desmond noticed that he stopped a far distance away from them, and climbed down from his horse. The man holding him yelled something to the other, as a knife made its way to his neck which made the boy shut his mouth and frozen in fear.

He couldn’t breathe properly. He was terrified and began to cry again. He shook him and yelled harshly to Desmond, the boy bit his lower lip and closed his eyes for his incoming death. A second passed when the voice of the kind man reached his ears, it was calm and completely different from the scared tone of the criminal. When the arms around him began to shake the boy opened his eyes. In front of the boy, he was smiling at him, eyes gentle and loving and asking a silent permission.

Desmond didn’t know what it was, but he trusted him. The man raised his arm to them, posture ready to shoot. The guy yelled with a warning tone, when a sharp bang to the air made him let go of Desmond. The boy placed his hands and knees on the ground and began coughing. He glanced at the man behind him, his eyes and mouth were wide open with a hole on his forehead, and blood oozing out of it. The sight was too much, and with a painful lurch Desmond vomited.

He felt a hand on his shoulder, Desmond spitted the disgusting taste out of his mouth as he was pulled up to his feet. He saw the children jumping down from the wagon, and men were taking the metal chains off of them. The child was relieved. He crouched down to the boy’s level, and Desmond wasted no time in hugging him and crying again, because that was the scariest thing that ever happened to him. He almost died and he said this in the man’s chest.

He stiffened, as the boy blinked his tears and looked up at to see what was wrong. The man’s eyes were wide, and Desmond felt nervous because why was he looking at the child with a shocked look? He couldn’t understand him, could he?


	4. Numbers Of Fruits

The sharp bang from the weapon strapped to his arm rang through the air, the bastard who had his grip around the boy dropped him as his body fell dead on the floor. Ezio made his way to the child to check for any injuries, and when the boy began to heave the master assassin crouched down to put a hand on his shoulder for comfort.

Once he calmed down, brown eyes and face identical to his own stared up at him. There was no fear in them, only his awe for Ezio. He suddenly shifted to wrap his small arms around the man, keeping his face hidden under the clothes of his upper body.

The boy’s frame began to shake, and Ezio bet the money in his pouch that he began crying. It was not his fault as he was still a child after all, and neither was this event supposed to happen to someone his age. He was just glad he was safe with no added injury, otherwise Claudia would bite his head off once they arrive at the villa.

Uncle Mario’s men already started helping the children in getting out of the wagon, before removing the chains from their legs. Muffled words came from the boy, causing the master assassin to froze in shock. Was the boy not born deaf?

Words that were too fast for him to catch up on began to get louder. He was surprised, he did not expect the boy to speak, or speak at all in English. The child noticed him tensing and leaned back as his wet face greeted the assassin. He may not speak the language, but he was familiar with some of it due to the rare moments of catching his father speaking to some of his associates in the past.

However, he knew someone who spoke well of it, and that person was his mother. Besides, no one else in Monteriggioni knew the language, and even if the other assassins did it would take days until they arrive due to how busy they were.

Ezio’s face turned serious again as he stood up, this explained why the boy didn’t respond to him yesterday. However, this revelation only rose new questions, why did his son not know Italian? Or could it be that his mother did not teach him? But why? He did not know any of the women he slept in the past who spoke the language. He never bothered to learn more about them except for Cristina and Rosa.

The ride back was silent, the assassin’s mind was filled with unanswered questions. The boy who sat in front of him would often glance at him, and Ezio certainly wished he could speak with him. By the time they arrived, Claudia was happy to see the boy, as expected. Uncle Mario told him that his mother did not know what happened as she was asleep, which was for the better as Ezio did not want her to worry more than she already was.

“This will be kept as a secret from her.” Stated Ezio.

The assassin’s sister looked at his way after she checked for the boy’s wellbeing. “Of course, Ezio. Mother’s recovery is more important.” They were hoping at least, that their loving mother would be back to her usual self.

“There is something I need to say.” He started, gaining their full attention at the sudden seriousness in his voice. “They boy is not born deaf and can speak, but not Italian.”

“What?” Both of his relatives said in surprised unison.

Ezio only kept his face blank. “He speaks English, but also different from the way father speaks the language. Only mother can talk to him.”

They stared at the boy, who began to look even more nervous but refused to back down by keeping his head up. Pride swell in his chest, the boy was brave, and he found out after rescuing those children that he had been the one who knocked the man unconscious with a large piece of wood, and untied the ropes by himself. He truly was an Auditore.

The servant who watched the child earlier was currently being treated by the doctor in Monteriggioni, the girl would be alright in a few days, what concerned the assassin more was the traitor who allowed this to happen. One of their men was working with those who kidnapped the boy, thus managed to slip under their nose.

Before looking for him, they seek the crook before he could escape, and told them that his companions were on their way to the dock to sell their ‘merchandise’. Hearing those words made Ezio’s blood boil, and sliced his hidden blade across the man’s throat to bleed to death after the interrogation. That kind of people didn’t deserve to live.

The children were safe, they let them eat as they were sickly, skinny, and frail. Now in a safe environment, they began to smile and laugh and even tell stories about their family to others. Some of them came from a faraway place, far off the province.

Once their mother was awake, Ezio could know more of the boy, since he knew nothing of him. He did not even know his name. The boy was an Auditore, and his family loved him, and Ezio did want to get closer to him. He never expected to become a father, he was distracted and did not chase after women as often as he did ever since he found out about the assassins and turning into one himself.

The life of an assassin was dangerous, those who knew nothing about their battle against the templars needed to stay out of it. The boy was still a child, his child, and the thought of what if he failed to find him on time, or never seeing him again almost made him loose control of himself in anger. He did not want to repeat what happened to his father and brothers.

After his mission at Rome, templars were looking for him. It was better to lay low until the heat died down. The children that were not from Monteriggioni were to stay at the church for the meantime, it was recently renovated and they had spare blankets and pillows which would suffice. It was better than letting them sleep on the streets anyway. They couldn’t risk sending them to their homes when their enemies were on a hunt for Ezio, and that included his men as well.

The master assassin and his family then decided that if the children were going to stay, they needed to help the chores around Monteriggioni. They’d teach them how to farm, take milk and meat from the animals, and learn how to make cotton for clothes. It was not that extraneous for them, and it would be better to learn these things since they were still growing. The day passed until late afternoon, where his mother was up and awake.

They gathered at uncle Mario’s office, where no servant could eavesdrop on the Auditores. Despite witnesses of seeing the child at the gates, they did not want to spread rumors about the boy once he told them the truth about how he got here, how he got injured, or what was his life before arriving in Monteriggioni. It was their business and only they could know about it.

The boy was sitting on a chair taller for his height, with an apple he had been eating from the past few minutes. His legs swayed back and forth under him, feet never touching the ground as he watched the adults with a curious gaze. Ezio silently chuckled, the child was adorable. The assassin saw his sister smiled fondly at the boy from the corner of his eye.

He grabbed a chair nearby and placed it in front of him, before facing Maria Auditore. “Mother, none of us can speak English except you. He knows the language. Can you please ask him about himself for us?” He said politely. He may be an assassin, but he still respected his mother.

She walked to the boy without uttering a word, and sat on the chair Ezio placed for her. A minute passed by, and everyone stood waiting for her patiently. When she began to speak, the boy widened his eyes in surprised that Ezio and his uncle couldn’t help but chuckle at how funny his expression was. He would never forget it.

Claudia sent them a glare which they immediately shut their mouth as laughter died in their throats. It was annoying sometimes, how Claudia had their mother’s frightening glare and aura. The boy’s expression then returned to realization and a look of respect was thrown to Maria Auditore.

Yes, their mother knew English and was stunningly smart. They continued talking, the fruit he held in his hand now forgotten in favor of listening and answering the questions his mother asked him. Ezio began to get impatient, but didn’t show it on the outside. They knew this was going to take a while, as his sister opened the book on her desk and began computing budgets from around Monteriggioni.

Uncle Mario now stood in front of the codex pages that hang on the wall, studying their contents but also keeping his attention on the boy and Maria. Ezio was looking at the paintings around the room when he heard the boy uttered a name that made him tense as his blood turned cold.

“What?” His uncle said, swiftly turning around to stare at the child with wide eyes. Ezio was doing the same, Claudia was only confused and narrowed her eyes in suspicion at both of the male’s horrified expressions.

Maria Auditore seemed to be ignoring them as she pulled the child into a hug, the boy looked at both of the men in confusion from his mother’s shoulders.

“Ezio? What’s the matter?” His sister’s voice sounded confused in his ears, but Ezio was beginning to panic. Of all people, it had to be his son to carry that kind of burden?

“Nephew, this could not be a coincidence.” The mentor of the assassins said, face turning pale.

The name he heard once from the beautiful woman at the vault under the church, what he was used for to send the message to, was his son? She spoke of the sun creating a huge destruction to the world when they were still alive, and about to happen again but did not tell him when.

What the woman said did not make any sense to Ezio, as she said she was not speaking to him but through him. Why speak through him when Ezio could just relay the message to the boy? It was also odd how she spoke to him as if the person she tried to warn was actually present. Perhaps that was how they speak during their time?

Claudia huffed beside him then crossed her arms in front of her chest, she was annoyed. Ezio knew she needed answers after their behavior of knowing the boy’s name, and she would not stop annoying him once something caught her interest.

“Claudia, there is something we need to tell you, but not here.” The assassin looked at his mother and the boy with concern one more time, before opening the secret passage as his uncle and sister followed behind him downstairs. After discussing with Claudia, who also got worried for the child’s wellbeing, they needed to let the other assassins know as soon as possible as this was important.

They immediately sent out letters as it would be days later until they receive them. Three days passed since they found out of the boy’s name, he no longer needed bandages around his arms as most of his bruises faded away and the cuts healed. Only the scar remained on his lips, same as Ezio’s.

He wished he knew how he got it, but the assassin was not sure about asking his mother to question the boy, it would do no good for her recovery after all. The child came to their lives only five days ago and yet they grew to love him, and easily accustomed with his presence as if the boy was a missing piece to their family.

From what they gathered from their mother was Desmond ran away from home, stating that he no longer desired to be there. He did not mention his mother, or how he arrived at the front of Monteriggioni, however they did not press their mother to question about the boy’s injuries as it would only worry her further.

As if a miracle fell upon the Auditores. Their mother, who was unresponsive to her family ever since his father and brothers were killed, decided to teach Desmond about the Italian language. They were shocked and could not believe it, although she was actually willing to do the task so they did not try stop her.

Ezio would feel happiness all over him whenever he stepped into the library and saw his mother teaching his son, she would notice him at the doorway then greeted him with a smile. Her mother was happy, and Ezio would give away anything for this. It was not that her mother replaced her brothers for Desmond, he knew she still missed them, he realized that his mother took this seriously due to the fact the child was alone for a long time and needed them.

Desmond’s new room was closer to Ezio’s, the servants cleaned it beforehand and spread out fresh sheets on the bed, as well as placed a bookshelf for the boy if he wished to read during his spare time. It turned out, despite of his small frame the boy was a big eater, and the servants in the kitchen would always cook what he wanted. It seemed they were not the only ones who loved Desmond, the servants adored his son, which only made him chuckle at the thought that the boy had them wrapped around his little fingers.

The child was still learning, and as these days passed the boy’s awkward personality disappeared to replace with childish mischief. One of them was when the boy hid inside the dark chicken coop, and when his unlucky victim arrived with chicken feeds, he would pop out behind the piles of crates with a scream and scare the living daylights out of the young man.

His family said it was Ezio’s fault, and he would tell the boy about it but Desmond was currently learning Italian, his mother did not know and they do no not want her to get angry or disappointed at the boy. They wouldn’t let this go either. After finding out another of Desmond’s prank, Ezio searched for him then sent him to his room and never to leave unless to use the bathroom. It worked, the child looked guilty and the assassin cheered him up by riding a horse with him.

A day did not pass where Ezio was not thinking about what the woman, who called herself Minerva, said at the vault. Desmond, his son, was destined to save the world. They chose him of all people. Was that why the assassin was the prophet thus he could pass it down to him when he was ready?

He saw what those people who came from before were capable of, they made the Pieces of Eden after all. They would not lie about the world ending. Desmond was still a child and he was already carrying the world’s fate on his shoulders.

Minerva said that there were temples his son needed to find, hidden and could only be found by him. How? Did he need a Piece of Eden to lead him to them? Did the temples needed something to turn them on and only Desmond could do it? Ezio was looking forward to the day where his son could finally understand and speak to him, however the boy was still young for his age to learn about the assassins. That did not mean he would not start Desmond’s training once he mastered the language.

The others should receive the letters he sent by now, and it would be a few more days until they arrive to Monteriggioni. Meanwhile Desmond’s lessons with his mother did not stop, and soon the boy was speaking to them with limited Italian such as ‘thank you’ or ‘please’, which includes the numbers of fruits he wanted to eat during meals. Desmond’s training would begin with something not extraneous at first. For example, delivering letters to the workers, how to put up a fighting stance properly and keep his body balance, and see if Desmond had Ezio’s unique vision.

If he didn’t, well, the boy would just need to train more than he ever did. His gift was important, it let him broaden his eyesight same as a bird when he’s perched high up at a building as well as help him see an ally, enemy, and most importantly targets. Ezio hoped Desmond had it. It was four days later when their guests arrived. Some of the assassins were not present due to having their hands full with duties. They gathered inside uncle Mario’s office.

After telling the others what happened a week ago, they immediately asked questions regarding his son. “Who is the boy’s mother?” Asked the courtesan.

Ezio looked at Paola with a serious face. “He was abused and frightened. He did not give information about his mother’s whereabouts. He said he ran away from home. It is better if she never sees Desmond ever again.”

“How can you be certain that your son Desmond is who Minerva speaks of?” Asked Machiavelli. “As you say, it is odd the way she explained the information. It could not be him, if he is the one Minerva was talking about do you have proof?”

“No, but I have an idea to know if it is him.”

Silence fell upon the room. His uncle’s eyes widen. “Nephew, you do not mean–?”

“Yes uncle, we’ll need the Piece of Eden.” He did not intend to find out if he was right without the other assassins, it would not be right. Ezio looked at Machiavelli, who narrowed his eyes at the assassin.

“The templar who you left to live will strike again soon. The advice I said to you from weeks ago remains the same, kill the pope before you decide to take action on this. I came here to hear good news, not this.”

The templar was injured from Ezio’s beating, and was probably hiding from him, he took the Piece of Eden therefore there was nothing left for him to take for power. For now, they must focus on the future.


	5. The Huge Library

It was midafternoon when Ezio decided to write inside the villa’s library. It was Sunday therefore the house didn’t have its usual noise of the servants walking around to do their chores. The master assassin’s posture was calm on the chair he was sitting, the quill in his hand glided through the paper which barely scratched the surface, yet the words he wrote were clear.

He did not acknowledge the slight tap on the tiled floor behind him, or the following footsteps later. The man’s face was focused however what he felt was amusement from his son’s effort in trying to scare him with a surprise, which never worked.

Ezio lifted his hand on the table to avoid getting his paper smudged with ink, before small arms wrapped around his waist as a giggle reached his ears. “Got you!”

The master assassin kept his expression at bay as well as any emotion behind his words, and looked at the boy. “I could hear you just outside the door, you weren’t exactly silent Desmond.”

The boy was still learning Italian, but he was catching up Ezio’s intention just by the tones in his voice. When the boy pouted, the man smiled and ruffled the child’s hair. “There’s always room for improvement. Now then, we should be heading to the dining room for dinner.”

Both of them walked out of the library and into the hallway, where Ezio began to ask simple questions to Desmond to test his knowledge about Italian. Sometimes he wouldn’t know the answer, and the man would helpfully tell him the correct word and phrases to use.

At least the boy was eager. Dinner was wonderful, his mother cooked for them — It had been a long time since she ever stood inside the kitchen to make them food — and the family were happily talking with one another on the table.

It was two days later when Ezio wondered if he should start Desmond’s training, he knew he shouldn’t rush the boy as he was still having lessons with Maria Auditore, he just wanted to know if he had his vision. He activated it when he was three years younger than Desmond after all, therefore the assassin was a bit worried.

It was his son’s destiny to save the world therefore having his vision would make things easier for him. Ezio was surprised to see him perched high up in a tree, the child grinned and waved down at him and he should scold him as it was dangerous, but he just laughed and climbed up to Desmond’s side where they watched the sunset together. Yes, his son’s training would begin tomorrow.

Wednesday arrived and Ezio went down from his room to Desmond’s bedroom, he went to the child’s side and woke him up. The boy refused to get up and buried himself deeper into his covers, the assassin let out a chuckle and managed to coax him out of bed. It turned out Desmond didn’t want to go out jogging in the morning, and despite Ezio’s efforts to persuade him to go with him, the child stayed in his bed. The man sighed.

Dark clouds surrounded the clear blue sky of the morning, evidently it was going to rain, thus canceling Desmond’s training for another day where the ground wouldn’t be slippery. The weather was accompanied by strong winds which caused the leaves and branches to fly away from the trees, as well was the roars of thunder.

His mother was already inside her room, and only the four Auditores sat inside the living room. Desmond ran up from his position on the floor to Claudia’s side, and covered his ears with both of his hands. His eyes were wide with fear and Ezio felt sorry for him as his sister hugged him.

The following day was void of dark clouds, there were still puddles evident around Monteriggioni but they would later evaporate in the afternoon, as droplets of water glittered under the light of the sun. When it was time for lunch, Ezio tried to talk to Desmond about running with him around town, however the boy still refused to go with him.

The master assassin sighed, it turned out the boy didn’t want to train, which was understandable as he was still a child. Therefore, Ezio made a plan, something to motivate Desmond. Before he refused to let the boy keep the wounded puppy he found in the garden, the little animal was taking shelter in one of their barns and the boy would sometimes sneak inside to give it food and water. However, Desmond didn’t want to run with him at all.

Another day passed and Ezio stopped coming into Desmond’s room to wake him up, he had been thinking of other ways to make his son train with him but he was at lost. He needed the boy to be eager similar to his passion in learning from his mother, however Ezio had no idea how.

The master assassin was in town with his son when a black feather caught his attention. He quickly told Desmond to stay put and jumped on a crate, before grabbing the ledge of the windows and climbed up the wall. He reached the rooftop and gave chase to the feather until he had it in his hand. He went back down where he left Desmond, who had his eyes and mouth wide open, as he stared at the man with amazement. Ezio chuckled.

“So fast!”

Ezio smiled. “You can do that too, if you work hard.” 

Desmond’s smile widened. “Teach me!”

The boy followed behind him, trying to keep up with his longer strides and the assassin mentally cheered in success. The children they met on their way waved and greeted them, some even called out to Desmond to play.

They had been running for a while now therefore Ezio let him, and raised an eyebrow when three girls walked up to Desmond with glasses of water. They began to argue of who’s glass Desmond got to drink first, which caused his son to be nervous as the girls only ignored him when he tried to tell them that they didn’t need to fight about this. The adults who witnessed the scene laughed, Ezio was amused. It turned out the children were only trying to thank Desmond for helping them escape, as well as giving them hope for freedom.

The next day the assassins arrived, as it was time to find out if it was his son who Minerva spoke of. They gathered inside uncle Mario’s office, Ezio held the Piece of Eden in his hand. The boy was staring at it with wide eyes and horror, as if he knew what it was capable of and that was the proof. It was him.

They were curious and wondered how the boy knew about it, Desmond’s response was the apple was the reason of how he got here, and that made everyone surprised. They were also curious of how it would react to the boy. Would he see visions? Would Minerva appear? Would it show the temples? Would it tell them when the world would burn? They needed to know.

Ezio held it out to him, Desmond only took a step back and shook his head. The assassin smiled, telling him not to worry as it was safe and he wouldn’t let it hurt him. The child grimaced and took another step back. Ezio frowned, he opened his mouth to tell the boy that he could do it when he was ready when the Apple of Eden glowed, as bright light filled the room with its sharp noise. They closed their eyes and winced.

The assassin gritted his teeth, he got a bad feeling about this. “Desmond!”

The ringing grew higher.

“Fathe—!”

The sound and light suddenly stopped, as the assassins’ senses slowly returned to normal. Papers were scattered everywhere and the paintings were disarray on the walls. His sister was still shaking and hugging their mother, Ezio’s eye swept around the messy room, his son was not here. “Desmond!”

They searched all around the villa and every corner of Monteriggioni, but the boy was nowhere to be seen. He vanished right before their eyes. Ezio tried to use the apple, to find a way to bring him back but it remained unresponsive unlike what it did earlier.

The day passed and morning came, the master assassin could not sleep as he had been working with the apple ever since Desmond disappeared. The assassins tried to help by returning to their base and began their search there if the boy appeared in some part of Italy. They were worried, was the child safe? Where did he go?

He wished the apple would at least give him a lead to Desmond. Everyone in Monteriggioni were saddened by the news, they didn’t know how it happened, some even said that perhaps the boy ran away as he did it before.

They ignored the rumors, they were wrong but telling them the truth did not matter, they just wanted Desmond to return. Ezio’s mother was back to being unresponsive, she spent her days inside her bedroom and the Auditores’ worry grew. The children kept asking where Desmond went but the family could not answer them. The villa felt empty.

A week passed and the bags under his eyes was more evident than before, his mother never went out of her room, and his sister was easily irritated. His uncle was the only one who kept telling them to take care of themselves and never lose hope, even when they knew he was also upset. Ezio sat on his bed, glaring at the Apple of Eden on his desk. He wanted to destroy it, for taking his son away when it glowed and Ezio’s vision darkened.

_“..safe..”_

His mind was distant, his body felt incredibly light as if he was floating.

_“Desmond returned to where he was meant to be, not here, not to you Ezio. There is no need to worry, instead cherish the memories you spent with him, as you will never see him again.”_

Something cold landed on his cheek, caressing him. _“And thank you for looking out for him when he was lost and needed someone.”_

Ezio woke and sat up with a gasp, his hands were shaking and cold sweat fell down on his face and underneath his clothes. The apple was on the ground, he swallowed the saliva that gathered in his mouth and stood to pick up the Piece of Eden.

His real name was Desmond Miles. An image of Desmond being embraced by a man named William Miles, as well as Minerva’s words lingered in his mind. The worry was replaced with pain. Desmond was never his son, and he would never see him again.

The Auditores were certainly saddened by the news, Claudia decided to move her bed to their mother’s room to keep her company. They felt as if they lost another family member, however they were relieved at least to know the boy was safe. Ezio told the assassins to stop their search, and told them the truth.

Monteriggioni was raided by templars a few days later, some of them managed to escape by the secret tunnels under the villa, however many people lost their lives that day, including his uncle. They moved to Rome, where his sister worked in a brothel of all places, and Ezio continued what he started. His missions distracted him, and he certainly was getting older as time passed until his goal was finally achieved.

They had a lot of recruits throughout the years, and Ezio was still searching for answers about his purpose. His hair began to turn gray, yet his skills never faltered. He was constantly busy. His first love was happily married and Ezio was happy for Cristina.

He travelled alone to Masyaf, which was full of templars and almost got himself killed in the process. He escaped death and killed the templars who were guarding a huge door, which needed five keys for it to open. The keys’ locations were written in books, one of them was with the man who wanted to kill Ezio when he first arrived here.

It led him to Constantinople, where an assassin greeted him. Yusuf Tazim replaced his broken hidden blade with a hook blade, it let him glide across houses on a wire as well as to climb up faster. Ezio beat him on a race when the man challenged him to see who would reach the top of the tower first.

He wasn’t the only one who was looking for the Masyaf keys, the templars were looking for them as well. They would guard the location or arrive before Ezio, however the assassin would always have them in the end, as well as leave no templar alive.

Sofia Sartor was an interesting woman. She had a passion for books and Ezio was careful in not letting her get in danger, or let her know about his true intentions in Constantinople. However, it was getting difficult the more time he spent with her, and the templars found out about her.

His friend, Yusuf, died in protecting her and Ezio would return Sofia to safety. It ended up with the assassin chasing after the templar in a carriage with Sofia, as the prince’s uncle was killed by his own brother.

Ezio took the five keys and travelled back to Masyaf with Sofia. The castle was void of templars, and was eerily quiet when he arrived. The librarian waited for him outside of the huge door, as Ezio lit up the torches. Bookshelves were placed inside, and at the center, were empty chairs except for one. Each key held a memory of Altair, and the once great assassin sat before him, void of flesh.

“No books.. no wisdom.. Just you, my brother.” Ezio kneeled in front of Altair’s skeleton. “Rest in peace, Altair.” He took the last key under his bony hand as it showed him another memory.

He walked to where the Apple of Eden was placed, but never touched it as the apple glowed and filled the room with light. Inside the huge library with no books, Ezio felt a presence with him, and happiness filled his chest.

“Desmond?” He called out, but there was no response. He turned around to see if he could see him, but Ezio was alone. “I do not know where you are, or by what means you can hear me. But I know you are listening.” He slowly took off his hidden blades, and his sword and dropped them on the ground, the sound echoed against the walls.

“I have lived my life as best I could, not knowing its purpose, but drawn forward like a moth to a distant moon. And here, at last, I discover a strange truth. That I am only a conduit for a message that eludes my understanding.” Ezio smiled. “Who are we, who have been so blessed to share our stories like this? To speak across centuries?”

He faced the apple. “Maybe you will answer all the questions I have asked. Maybe you will be the one to make all this suffering worth something in the end.” Desmond appeared, but his body was transparent, which meant he wasn’t completely present however he was aware of Ezio. Before him was a man, not a boy any longer, but the assassin recognized him. Desmond smiled back. He was more confident, more mature, and looked as if he would accept whatever challenges he would face. Ezio placed a hand on his shoulder, it glowed under his touch.

“I am proud of you. Now… listen…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Phew, I finally finished this, that was a lot of work. I'm surprise a lot of you survived my bad and wrong grammars, you guys are strong. Anyway, thank you for being so patient! I wouldn't have continued this without all your support. Have a nice day!


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